In an effort to make its programs available to a larger pool of qualified students, Yeshiva University’s Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies has launched a distance learning option, Revel Remote. Beginning with the Spring 2018 semester, the online platform will allow remote students to enroll in Jewish philosophy degree programs at Revel, and they will be able to participate in classes from their locations.
Unlike online courses, remote or distance learning means that students fully participate in the classroom in real time. Students using an audio-video configuration on their computers will be able to see the classroom and participate through their web cameras. “All they need is a computer, a microphone, and a camera. Other than that, it’s the same as any other class participant,” … [Read more...]

By Jerry Fensterstock
When our synagogue, Bet Torah in Mt. Kisco, NY, announced a learning project with Project Zug, an online-based paired learning platform powered by Mechon Hadar, I really had no idea what to expect. We have had many adult education programs over the years, but nothing that was as self-directed as this looked to be. It was to be spread out over more than ten weeks and required significant amounts of discipline. I wasn’t sure if I was up to making this big a time commitment. And, it was timed to lead up to an evening of study on Shavuot, the nature of which had not been defined. So, I had a little bit of trepidation as I decided to sign up for the class. However, there were a lot of topics to choose from, and many of them were definitely interesting. There was quite a spread … [Read more...]

[This article is part 3 of the series Continuing Conversations on Leveraging Educational Technology to Advance Jewish Learning. The series is a project of Jewish Funders Network, the Jim Joseph Foundation, and the William Davidson Foundation. For an in-depth look at opportunities in Jewish Ed Tech and digital engagement, read Smart Money: Recommendations for an Educational Technology and Digital Engagement Investment Strategy. Later this year, Jewish Funders Network will launch a new website to help advance the field of Jewish educational technology.]
By Chana German
A century ago, when my bubbe sat in her fifth grade classroom in a Chicago public school, with 30+ classmates sitting row after row, listening to her teacher lecture, it would have been hard, probably impossible, for her to … [Read more...]

The fall semester has officially ended, but online courses are making it possible to keep learning about Israel from leading Israeli professors. This opportunity is available not only to college students but to anyone in the broader community with access to the internet.
By Dr. Ariel Ilan Roth
Where to go for quality learning opportunities about Israel is a challenge for many members of our community. Many college campuses have a limited number of courses that tackle Israel in any capacity, much less in a comprehensive, multi-faceted manner. For adults who have long since graduated from college, finding good sources for understanding Israel is even more difficult. Technology offers a partial solution. Massive open online courses (MOOCs) are one model that can help address the community’s … [Read more...]

By Rabbi Avi Killip
“Hey! That’s my Zug!” - one Ezra fellow cheers for another, during an evening of karaoke. “Zug” is Hebrew for partner, and he is referring to his “havruta,” his learning partner in an online Jewish learning platform called Project Zug. The pair of young professionals are part of a cohort of Ezra Fellows, a group of early career Hillel engagement professionals from around the country who are committed to growing as Jewish educators.
Ezra Fellows begin their learning with a two-day August intensive with teachers from Mechon Hadar. They then maintain their connections to one another and to Jewish learning through ongoing weekly learning with Project Zug. Project Zug’s online platform allows the fellows to continue to grow together throughout the year, by learning in pairs over … [Read more...]

By Dan Brosgol
and Debbie Kardon-Schwartz
Jewish teens love to be online. And they also love to be at camp.
Take our word for it - we see well over a thousand of them every year in the various programs that our two organizations, Prozdor of Hebrew College and the Eli and Bessie Cohen Camps, operate. When the two of us got together in the fall of 2013 to brainstorm a new collaboration to help teach the Cohen Camps’ Dor L’Dor Leadership program participants about leadership and Israel, we immediately arrived at a proposal to try something that had never been done before - a blended learning course on those very topics. Combining online learning with the experiential components of Israel and the Counselor-In-Training program at camp, our idea would also feature in-person sessions at the camps in … [Read more...]

The Melton Centre of Jewish Education (Hebrew University in Jerusalem) is launching a new distance learning Masters degree track.
Taught entirely in English, the program offers students from around the world the chance to earn a Masters degree in Jewish education in just one year of study, with a 6-week summer semester in Jerusalem.
Tailored to the needs of educators, the program allows candidates to integrate existing commitments with their degree studies without needing to relocate or interrupt their teaching. And since the program is online, participants are free to set their own schedule. Because the program is headquartered in Israel, it also offers tuition far lower than that of programs at comparable institutions in the US.
Along with two semesters of online classwork, the program … [Read more...]

By Judy Mars Kupchan
and Rabbi Johnny Solomon
Among the voices of dread about the future of the Jews in Europe is one remarkable prophet whose focus is not politics or Anti-Semitism but an opportunity that is at stake. According to Barbara Lerner Spectre, “a dramatic reclaiming of Jewish identity is currently taking place in Europe’” which she terms “'dis-assimilation.” She explains that “These dis-assimilators represent an emerging new identity profile. As a group they are well-educated, often speaking multiple languages and knowledgeable of the literatures of those languages. They are anxious to engage as adults in serious Jewish education, are creative in cultural spheres, and frequently play key roles in Jewish life in areas where the remnant of the Jewish community was decimated by the … [Read more...]

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